Yes, yes, we’ve all heard the jokes about Marsiling and Woodlands being so far up north of the island that they might as well be part of Malaysia.
Welp, this video won’t change anyone’s perceptions. The Merlion Press recently found footage of the final days of seaside villages up north, where boats (usually sampans and koleks) were available for folks to travel across the pond to Johor. Kampong Lorong Fatimah existed near the Causeway up until ’89, deeply isolated from the rest of Singapore in its location sandwiched between the Johor Strait and forested land. Its villagers worked as ferrymen and fishermen — but the land was soon taken over for the extension of Woodlands Checkpoint.
Life is no longer as idyllic and carefree as what’s depicted in the video — but the footage is a good reminder of the nation’s rapid islandwide urbanisation.
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